Texas Jazz Educators Association Newsletter Highlighting Jazz Activities in the State of Texas
September 2016
THE PRESIDENT’S
. MESSAGE
Dear TJEA Members,
We’ve almost arrived at the 100th anniversary of the very first jazz recording: “Livery Stable Blues,” by the Original Dixieland Jass Band. Recorded on February 26th, 1917, it unexpectedly became a huge hit, and was the first popular music recording to sell more than one million copies. It marked an early milestone in the development of a music that would both 2016 TJEA summer jazz symposium!! See p. 2 document and influence the political and social change that defined in the 20th century.
From that epochal “Livery Stable Blues” recording to now, jazz music has undergone INSIDE THIS ISSUE astonishing changes - so much so that it could be argued that a different term is needed to define our genre. That is a discussion for TJEA Summer Symposium…………………….. p. 2 another time, but for now I think it is important that we as jazz educators recognize the College of the Mainland…………………..…….. p. 3 universal elements of this music, which can be found in music from the Original Dixieland Jass Weatherford College…………………...……...… p. 4
Band, to Duke Ellington, to Charlie Parker, to University of Houston - Moores Jazz Miles Davis, to Brad Mehldau. Orchestra………………………..……………....… p. 5
Of those universal elements, two in particular TJEA Grants…………………………...... p. 5 are critically important: improvisation and Eddie Lewis in South Africa…..………...... p. 6 historical lineage. Most jazz is heavily based in improvisation. It is in the DNA of the music, and Baylor news, TJEA new officers, 2017 Invited Jazz Ensemble………………….… p. 7 it is what makes it difficult, relevant, complex, and fresh. The historical lineage of the music is Sam Houston State University……………….… p. 8 the line that can be drawn from any jazz recording or performance to its predecessors Utah Hamrick in Chile………..………...... p. 9 decades in the past. Are you a fan of Gordon Jazz Ed Network 2017 conference…………….. p. 10 Goodwin? His music can be traced back to Gil Evans and Count Basie, and then further to Paul
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Whiteman and Fletcher Henderson. Do you have students who love Snarky Puppy? There is a direct line backward to Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams’ Lifetime and Weather Report, to Miles Davis, and then further to Roy Eldridge and Louis Armstrong.
As we begin this new school year, I am renewing my own determination and commitment to keep improvisation and historical lineage at the forefront of my pedagogy, and I’d like to invite you all to join me. Students need nurturing and encouragement as they continue the hard climb toward becoming creative improvisers, and they need to be exposed as much as possible to this music’s history, primarily through its vibrant garden of recordings, stretching back for a century. I wish you all the best as you face these challenges, and I hope you will let us know what we can do to help enable you to be successful.
Thank you for your hard work and your commitment to education, and I hope to see you all at TMEA 2017!
Best regards,
David Lown President, TJEA
The 2016 TJEA Summer Jazz Symposium was held in June at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, TX in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The symposium sponsor and organizer was current TJEA president, David Lown. Special guests were professors Ronald Carter from Northern Illinois University and John Murphy from the University of North Texas.
Professor Carter and members of the DFW All-Star Big Band with Symposium attendees. June 18th, 2016.
Host David Lown, reflecting on the summer symposium stated, “This year's Symposium was a great success, and it was rewarding to see talented students and educators together in one place, playing some great music and learning about jazz education. Professor Carter gave us a lot of information about conceptualizing swing feel, the importance of learning multiple styles, vocalizing the music, and understanding the importance of jazz history. The all-student big band that we had Continued, next page... Page 3 September 2016 T.J.E.A Newsletter was very well prepared and represented Texas and DFW very well. Dr. John Murphy from UNT also led an excellent roundtable discussion, and he spent a lot of time listening to the educators in the room. We all learned a lot and experienced some different perspectives.”
UNT's Dr. John Murphy leads a roundtable discussion about jazz education in Texas.
Lown added, “Thank you so much to the band directors who attended, the students who played in the big band and their directors, TJEA Treasurer Heather Mensch, Secretary James Cook, Executive Director Alex Parker and the rest of the TJEA board, and the students and parents of the Carroll Jazz Program in Southlake for making the event so great.
I look forward to next year's Symposium, and I know it's in great hands with our new president-elect, Sarah Roberts!”
COM Jazz Ensemble, Texas City
The COM Jazz Ensemble’s first performance will College of the Mainland be Saturday October 1, 2016 at 1 pm as part of College of the Mainland’s 50th year Celebration. Jazz Ensemble All the performing groups from COM will be performing that day from 11 am to 3 pm. There are a few new Continued, next page... Page 4 September 2016 T.J.E.A Newsletter members in the jazz ensemble this fall. Playing guitar will be Juan Manuel, and on piano Charlie Prause, both are excellent musicians and will fit right in with all the experienced players that I have. New in the trumpet section is Ronnie Howard a sophomore music major on trumpet. Ronnie made the TX Community College Directors All State Symphonic Band last year and is hoping to make the TCCDB All State Jazz Ensemble this year. College of the Mainland jazz ensemble director, Sparky Koerner commented, “I am always glad to see so many of the players returning year after year because it adds to the consistency of the group and hate to see players that have been in for a Charlie Prause, piano and Juan Manuel, guitar. while have to move on. Kim Chavez – jazz trumpet is taking a break from the ensemble to finish up a Galveston. This is the 3rd year that his group has master’s degree in Human Health Science. We will been asked to perform for this event. miss her creative solos.” Sparky Koerner continues to be one of the guest Koerner will serve as the Brass Adjudicator artists performing at the Tremont House Hotel in Coordinator for the TCCBDA All State Jazz Galveston with the Trio Du Jour. He will perform Ensemble Auditions that will take place in on September 9 & 23 from 6 to 9 pm with Mel October. “I am encouraging all the community Drybread on bass and Leah Stonum on piano. A college jazz directors and concert/symphonic variety of horn and guitars player rotate at this directors to encourage their students to audition. It venue according to their schedule, giving the is a great opportunity for their students to rehearse Tremont a new jazz group every weekend on and perform with other community college music Fridays and Saturdays. If you’re ever in Galveston students from around the state and to work with a for the weekend stop by the Tremont House knowledgeable director,” said Koerner. located at 2300 Ships Mechanic Row to hear live jazz. Sparky’s Jazz Express will perform for the COM 50th Celebration Gala on September 15, 2016 to be Sparky also continues his long standing held at the Doyle Center in Texas City. Sparky is performances as principle trumpet with the in his 32nd year as a full time music educator at Galveston Symphony Orchestra with a Pops COM. Concert scheduled for September 4th and two concerts in October on the 2nd and 30th. Major On September 17, 2016 the Jazz Express will works will include the Bizet Symphony in C and perform for the Galveston Art League Annual Gala Shostakovich Symphony No. 9 Op. 70. to be held at the Galveston Convention Center in
Weatherford College on the March
It looks to be a great fall semester at Weatherford semester, Weatherford College will offer Music College. The WC Jazz Band will again be directed Composition classes and hands-on instruction in by Cal Lewiston, with Ric Flauding as assistant Music Technology as well, thanks in part to the director. Jazz Improvisation and Small addition of new computers and digital audio Instrumental Ensemble (Combo) classes are now workstations on campus. The new classes will be under way along with individual instrumental taught by Ric Flauding. instruction. Beginning with the spring 2017 Continued, next page... Page 5 September 2016 T.J.E.A Newsletter
In other news, several of Mr. Flauding’s Mexico. Over the summer, sheet-music distributor compositions and arrangements for jazz soloist, big J.W. Pepper began offering more than a hundred of band, and symphony orchestra have been Mr. Flauding’s compositions and arrangements performed recently, including performances by online, including several “hot list” offerings for saxophonist Mack Goldsbury with orchestras in jazz band and “little big band.”
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON Moores School of Music Jazz Orchestra Fall 2016 Concert Series
The Moores School of Music Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Noe Marmolejo, will kick off their 2016- 2017 Concert Series on Wednesday October 5. The opening concert will feature music from big bands of the 1960s forward, including charts from the libraries of Buddy Rich, Thad Jones, Frank Mantooth, the Mingus Big Band, and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The performance will begin at 7:30 PM in the Moores Opera House on the campus of the University of Houston. Tickets are $12.00 for adults and $7.00 for students/seniors. They can be obtained ahead of time by visiting www.music.uh.edu and purchasing under “Events and Performances”. The ticket office will also be open inside of the Moores Opera House an hour before the performance.
Band Directors, lesson teachers, and anyone else interested in bringing student groups can contact Cameron Kubos at [email protected] to receive information on special group rates and opportunities.
More information on the MSM Jazz Program including details on the November 16 Jazz Orchestra performance and 2017 MSM Jazz Festival, can be found at www.uhjazz.com.
GRANTS TO TEXAS JAZZ PROGRAMS
The Texas Jazz Educators Association provides jazz grants for Elementary, Middle School, and High School Programs. The grants are for up to $250 and they will go to at least 10 school programs for clinicians, educational materials, or other program needs. The deadline is October 1st and the grants will be awarded on November 1st. You must be a member of TJEA to apply.
**CLICK HERE FOR A GRANT APPLICATION **
Send Applications to [email protected], or mail to Alex Parker, 1931 Ruidoso, Waco, TX 76712
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Trumpeter Eddie Lewis in South Africa with the trumpet section for the Afrika Mkhize Big Band. (L. to R. Sakhile Simani, Sydney Mavundla, Eddie Lewis and Lwanda Gogwana.)
performing and recording with other jazz artists like Texas – South Africa Joe Henderson, Abbey Lincoln, Elvin Jones and Courtney Pine. Lewis played third trumpet and the Connection jazz solo chair for the band.
This summer, Houston trumpeter Eddie Lewis had Lewis was also honored with a private performance the pleasure of performing and teaching at the of a piece he composed for the Stirling High School National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown, South Brass Ensemble. The composition, titled Pura Africa. For sixteen years, the festival has been Alegria, had been performed earlier in the month gathering accomplished jazz musicians from around when Lewis was unavailable to attend. The students, the world and from within South Africa to perform when learning that he would be in the country during and encourage the youth in their study of our art. the festival, requested an opportunity to perform the work for him while he was in Grahamstown. The 2016 National Youth Jazz Festival brought jazz artists from over a dozen different countries to Lewis gave one last clinic at Stirling High School in perform for the public and teach 250 of South East London, South Africa before returning to the Africa’s top jazz students. Mr. Lewis was one of USA. In this clinic, he shared with the school’s brass three performing clinicians from the USA. He taught musicians about the difference between a warm-up two clinics on general trumpet topics, a clinic on the and a routine. The students then participated in an history of jazz, and a clinic on how to incorporate the abbreviated version of Lewis’ Physical Trumpet jazz language into your practice time. These were all Pyramid routine. very well received. If the name, Eddie Lewis, sounds familiar to you, it During the festival, Lewis had the pleasure of may be because he composed four of this year’s All- performing with the Afrika Mkhize Big Band. For State audition etudes: two trumpet etudes, a this performance, Afrika wrote arrangements of trombone etude, and a bass trombone etude. Lewis about a dozen Bheki Mseleku compositions. Bheki performs, teaches and composes in the greater Mseleku was a South African pianist who made a Houston area. name for himself in the UK and parts of Europe,
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NEW TJEA OFFICERS
Congratulations to the 2016-2017 TJEA officers, directors, and advisory board.
Officers: Advisory Board: President-David Lown Paul Baker President-Elect - Sarah Roberts Cathy Benford Secretary - James Cook Kris Berg Treasurer – Heather Mensch Richard Birk Frank Coachman Executive Officer: Don Dennis Alex Parker Ben Irom Sparky Koerner Directors: Warren Sneed Mark Nichols Aric Schneller Matthew Seifert
We want to thank our outgoing officers for their hard work while in office! Thanks to past-president Matthew Seifert and director Greg Ball.
The TJEA membership year began on July 1st. If you have not renewed please contact the TJEA webmaster for a link to the membership page. [email protected]
2016-2017 Invited High School Jazz Band
The TMEA-TJEA Invited High School Jazz Band is the Harlingen HS Jazz Band from Harlingen, TX, Ronnie Rios, Director. Congratulations to these students and directors for their wonderful audition! Be on the lookout in the 2017 TMEA Convention Guide for their performance time. Page 8 September 2016 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Sam Houston State University Jazz News
Aric Schneller, Director of Jazz Studies at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX shared these accolades for the SHSU jazz program. Their new CD is coming off the press this month. It's entitled Fire Dance and it's partly an educational jazz CD with excerpts for the new jazz resource, About That Jazz by J. Richard Dunscomb and Jose Antonio Diaz. For CD purchase information click here.
Also, SHSU Jazz Ensemble's 2016 TMEA performance (CD/DVD) will be distributed on NAXOS of America in November. Lastly, the 7th Annual SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival will be on March 31st and April 1st of 2017 and it will feature the great Michael Dease on trombone.
J. Richard Dunscomb, Vice President of the Board of Directors-Midwest Clinic, contributed the following liner notes for the Fire Dance CD.
Dr. Aric Schneller, Director of Jazz Studies, is to exceptional range of vocalist Austen Smith and the be congratulated for his vision on this project. As a trombone styling of Ramsey Hampton. jazz musician and educator, he is keenly aware that the future of jazz needs to be addressed at the Jazz is a verbatim language and the language of school level where this is a proliferation of jazz jazz must be learned to cultivate and create the bands. Kudos to him for including high quality feeling of swing. Four of the selections on the CD music in this CD that speaks directly to the jazz do just that. They are from a newly published education field alongside those professional charts curriculum entitled, About That Jazz, which that the band so proudly presents. approaches jazz education from the oral tradition utilized by the masters of this art form. Each of The Sam Houston State University School of Music these hip-sounding charts are written by award has long been recognized for its outstanding winning author, composer and arranger Jose program in Music Education. Dr. Schneller Antonio Diaz. He is the Director of Bands at continues this practice today. In addition, under MacArthur High School in Houston, Texas. the leadership of SHSU’s Director of Bands Dr. Matthew McInturf, the SHSU Center for Music Diaz’s first tune is a medium tempo swinger Education has been formed and is a Leader in entitled, “Just Groovin’”…and groove it does! The continuing support for practicing teachers. chart features one of Diaz’s Texas High School All-State students Robert Chapa on drums and The mix of music you will experience here ranges SHSU student Raphael Laran on trombone. from the exciting and hot “Fire Dance” featuring Luis Ayala on trumpet and Taylor Sharp on guitar “Caught In The Moment” written by Tom Kubis to the subtle sounds of vocalist Austen Smith and spotlights Geovani Ayala on flugelhorn soaring the lush trombone of Ramsey Hampton. above the pulsating ensemble. This selection evokes musical emotions. The band roars out of the gate with a blistering arrangement of the standard “Almost like Being in Continued, next page... Love” arranged by Lennie Niehaus. We hear the Page 9 September 2016 T.J.E.A Newsletter
We hear Gregory Goods on tenor saxophone who tenor saxophone. is another one of Diaz’s Texas High School All- xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx State students from MacArthur High School “Fire Dance” is definitely the pièce de résistance soloing on the whimsical “Joseph’s Bounce.” of the CD. This terrific showpiece is composed and arranged by Allen Vizzutti and Jeff Tyzik. Luis The romantic ballad “Never Let Me Go” finds Ayala’s trumpet begins the fireworks with the trombonist Ramsey Hampton at his finest. His silky beautiful theme over a bed of driving rhythms by sound is reminiscent of that of his teacher Aric the ensemble. His improvisation is followed by Schneller and mentor Bill Watrous. Taylor Sharp’s fiery guitar solo which launches Luis and the band into a blazing climax. The next two tunes are Diaz’s swinging specials. In “JR’s Hideaway” we hear a trumpet solo by SHSU In conclusion, Fire Dance is a welcome tribute to student Chris Cermak and “Dot Blues” spotlights jazz and jazz education. Congrats to one and all another solo by guest student Gregory Goods on that made this excellent recording possible.
Texas State bassist instructs in Chile
Utah Hamrick, director of jazz ensembles and instructor of jazz bass at Texas State University, spent a week in Chile this August working with students at the Projazz Institute in Santiago. The Projazz Institute had its beginnings in 1982 as the Academy of Music Projazz. The project grew in 1985 with the addition of renowned voice teacher Ana Maria Meza and saxophonist Patrick Ramirez. The program was renamed in 1999 as the Projazz International Music School creating the first jazz studies program in Chile and renamed again in 2007 becoming the Professional Projazz Institute offering the first professional level jazz studies approved by the Chile Ministry of Education. Projazz remains at the forefront in the training of professional artists.
Hamrick directed their big band in two concerts, one in Santiago and one in Rancagua. Hamrick also gave a jazz bass master class and performed two concerts with Texas State colleagues Russell Haight and Hank Hemsoth.
Have you renewed your TJEA
membership? Contact the web master for a link to pay fees and update membership information.
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Are you a JEN member? x The Jazz Education Network is a global non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States of America that seeks to advance jazz education, promote performance and develop new audiences. JEN was founded in 2008 in Chicago and now has over 1,500 members in 23 countries, every USA state and 7 Canadian provinces.
JEN operates with a volunteer board, two part-time employees and two independent contractors, and hundreds of volunteers from around the world. The Founding Steering Committee, led by co-founders Mary Jo Papich and Dr. Lou Fischer, created the mission that JEN lives by today: The Jazz Education Network is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences.
Annual conferences are held in January each year and past conference cities have included, St. Louis (2010), New Orleans (2011), Louisville (2012), Atlanta (2013), Dallas (2014), San Diego (2015), Louisville, KY (2016).
The 8th Annual JEN Conference will be held in New Orleans, LA at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, January 4-7, 2017. The annual conference serves teachers, researchers, students, artists, performing arts presenters, music industry partners, enthusiasts and more. The organization is expecting over 3,500 attendees at the conference and is working with local community arts leaders and jazz affiliates to make it a very successful event. Information may be found online from the JEN Home Page under the Conference Central Tab. Click here to see all future conference locations.
Texas clinicians and performing ensembles appearing at the 2017 JEN conference include: University of North Texas Jazz Singers-Jennifer Barnes-director; Paris Rutherford (clinic); High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Jazz Combo (Houston)-Warren Sneed, director; Marvin Sparks (clinic); Lamar Middle School & Fine Arts Academy Jazz Factory-James Hairston, director; Temple High School Highlighters-Brent Mathesen, director; Ed Soph (clinician); Lamar University Cardinal Jazz-Rick Condit, director; Denton High School Soul Ensemble, Denton High School Lab Band 1-Jesse Woolery, director; Dan Haerle (clinician); and others.
View the complete 2017 conference schedule here. Membership information can be found here.
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Email should be sent to the newsletter editor, John Goode, at [email protected].
DEADLINES: January 15 (Feb. Edition) April 15 (May Edition) August 15 (September Edition) October 15 (Nov. Edition)
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